Easton police office burglarized

Joe McDonaldOf The Morning Call

Someone broke into the Easton police chief's office suite, pried open a file cabinet and riffled through a file on Jesse Sollman, the city patrolman who was fatally shot inside the police station in March.

The break-in happened overnight Thursday, days before a grand jury investigation into Sollman's death is set to begin.

The burglary is the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents that have racked the 62-member department in recent years, from police brutality lawsuits with multimillion dollar awards to the shooting of Sollman.

What may have been a problem with the file cabinet turned into a criminal investigation after Gibiser saw a pry mark on it. He said someone put a boot on a bottom drawer and yanked open the cabinet.

He would not say if he suspected a police officer, other than to say it was the work of "somebody who works in the department."

The cabinet contained files of letters, memos and training materials, and a file for Sollman that contained awards and certificates he received over his 11-year career. Gibiser said someone went through the file before putting it back in the drawer.

He said the file was not a personnel file and contained no information on the investigation into Sollman's death.

Mazzeo said he did not believe it was a coincidence the burglary happened the same week city police were subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury in Harrisburg. The officers will appear Monday, when the grand jury probe begins.

"The timing has be to be a question," Mazzeo said. "The attorney general delivered subpoenas Tuesday and Wednesday, and this break- in occurred immediately after that. And the only file that was apparently touched was Jesse Sollman's file."

"I'm extremely upset and very disappointed," Mazzeo said. "When we find out who did this, they will be arrested."

Whoever entered the chief's suite did not get into Mazzeo's private office, where he has a safe, or the captains' offices, Mazzeo said. The burglar did not see the internal affairs investigation into the Sollman shooting, he said.

"That may be what they were actually looking for, the investigation into the shooting," Mazzeo said.

Mazzeo said his "best guess" was the same file cabinet in the past contained personnel files and investigative matters but those files were moved when he took over as chief in January 2004.

He said the break-in "obviously took a little bit of planning."

Mazzeo said he suspects someone flipped the lock open on a side door leading from a conference room to his area. He said the conference room is left open for police officers to use.

Mazzeo said polygraphs -- or lie detector tests -- are an option in the investigation, though there may be legal precedents and labor law obstacles that prevent them.

Although no details have been released on how Sollman was shot, authorities have said he was shot by Patrolman Matthew Renninger, who was in a small gun-cleaning room at the time. Renninger has been on paid leave since the shooting.

State police and the attorney general's office have been investigating the shooting.